I was getting sick of the way my blog looked so I changed it! I want to figure out how to customize it so I can create my own look, but I want to make sure I know exactly what to do first - in case I try a change and it erases my entire blog or something horrific like that!
Tony made it to Samos on the ferry. He arrived at 4am on Monday and was given a bunch of new gear (guns, a tent, etc....) and by 11am he and everyone else left for a 12 day camping trip in the middle of no where! He did not expect that at all, so he didn't get a chance to charge his phone; We'll only be able to talk for a few minutes in the next week and a half. He'll have to do training, missions, and exercises in crappy weather; He said it was really cold there already and this week is supposed to be bad (there is even snow in some parts of Northern Greece!) So "poor Tones" is all I can say!
PS: There was a crazy rainstorm all night and this morning I took some pics of the after effects and I'll post them tomorrow.
M
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Another Surprise
It’s my dad’s birthday today, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to daddy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!
Even though I miss out on a birthday, I still had a lot of fun over here. Tony surprised me yet again! I was called up to his parent’s place, Friday evening, to get my cat (because he likes to bug them up there now). But when I got to the door to find my brat cat, Tony was there! I thought I would see him next at the end of Nov but since he was transferring to a base on Samos, he found out that same day that they were letting him go home for a bit first. He has been soooo lucky with his time off; He’s been able to come home a handful of times whereas a friend of his on a different base (Samos) has been let out only twice in 3 months! I think once Tony gets to Samos too, it’ll be a little harder for him to leave.
The weekend was so much fun! On Sat it was “Oχι Day” (pronounced “Ohi Day” and means “No Day”) Oχι Day is celebrated because of General Ioannis Metaxas' strong reply of 'oχι' (no) to Mussolini's request to allow Italian troops to come into Greece at the beginning of WW II. The result of this message was powerful, and in the end, helped to maintain Greece’s course of neutrality for generations.
Anyways, in the morning we made crepes and headed to town to watch the “Oχι Day” parade with some of Tony’s friends. Afterwards we all went out for coffee at a really nice café on a cliff overlooking the ocean. In the evening, we had dinner with his parents and watched a movie called “Inside Man” (quite good!). And at around midnight, we left to go out dancing with some friends and stayed out till 4:30am.
On Sunday Tony had to leave so we stayed at home for the day. The time changed here on Sat night, so we had an extra hour of sleep, but we still slept in till 12. We made more crepes for breakfast/lunch, I gave him a hair cut, and he packed all his stuff up. Since he was transferring to another base he had to put on his fancy uniform for the trip over so of course we had to get a bunch of pics (he felt like a tourist attraction! lol!).
The weather is supposed to get cold and rainy again for this week, so I hope the forecast is wrong because it’s been nice lately!
M
Even though I miss out on a birthday, I still had a lot of fun over here. Tony surprised me yet again! I was called up to his parent’s place, Friday evening, to get my cat (because he likes to bug them up there now). But when I got to the door to find my brat cat, Tony was there! I thought I would see him next at the end of Nov but since he was transferring to a base on Samos, he found out that same day that they were letting him go home for a bit first. He has been soooo lucky with his time off; He’s been able to come home a handful of times whereas a friend of his on a different base (Samos) has been let out only twice in 3 months! I think once Tony gets to Samos too, it’ll be a little harder for him to leave.
The weekend was so much fun! On Sat it was “Oχι Day” (pronounced “Ohi Day” and means “No Day”) Oχι Day is celebrated because of General Ioannis Metaxas' strong reply of 'oχι' (no) to Mussolini's request to allow Italian troops to come into Greece at the beginning of WW II. The result of this message was powerful, and in the end, helped to maintain Greece’s course of neutrality for generations.
Anyways, in the morning we made crepes and headed to town to watch the “Oχι Day” parade with some of Tony’s friends. Afterwards we all went out for coffee at a really nice café on a cliff overlooking the ocean. In the evening, we had dinner with his parents and watched a movie called “Inside Man” (quite good!). And at around midnight, we left to go out dancing with some friends and stayed out till 4:30am.
On Sunday Tony had to leave so we stayed at home for the day. The time changed here on Sat night, so we had an extra hour of sleep, but we still slept in till 12. We made more crepes for breakfast/lunch, I gave him a hair cut, and he packed all his stuff up. Since he was transferring to another base he had to put on his fancy uniform for the trip over so of course we had to get a bunch of pics (he felt like a tourist attraction! lol!).
The weather is supposed to get cold and rainy again for this week, so I hope the forecast is wrong because it’s been nice lately!
M
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Weekend
My weekend went very quickly because I was busy. Last week was rainy and pretty cold (unusual for this time of year); I kept my bike under a flimsy tarp most of the time so it wouldn't get rusty.
This weekend though turned out to be warmer and the sun came out again! Now the weather is back to normal. I decided to go for a hike on Saturday since I could (no rain). I went to one of my favourite walks around the Ancient Quarries of Marathi. I like it there because it's secluded, there are some really cool caves that you can go into, and there is a trail up one of the mountains so it's good for the legs!
I came across a skeleton! It's probably a goat or something (there are no deer here). I walked up to the top of the mountain where there is a little monastery and crumbling rock silo. I'm so used to the land changing colour to oranges, browns, and reds in the fall but here it's the opposite; the plants get revived by the rain and cooler climate so everything turns green and will stay green for the winter. New grass is starting to grow to replace the dead brown grass and random plants and flowers are growing where there used to be just dirt (including my front yard!) It's interesting to watch everything change.
On Sunday it was even warmer! Linda and I went for a walk and ended up going for a swim in the early evening; the water was colder from all the rain but it was still nice and refreshing! We made pizza and carbanara afterwards (pretty much pigged out!)
M
This weekend though turned out to be warmer and the sun came out again! Now the weather is back to normal. I decided to go for a hike on Saturday since I could (no rain). I went to one of my favourite walks around the Ancient Quarries of Marathi. I like it there because it's secluded, there are some really cool caves that you can go into, and there is a trail up one of the mountains so it's good for the legs!
I came across a skeleton! It's probably a goat or something (there are no deer here). I walked up to the top of the mountain where there is a little monastery and crumbling rock silo. I'm so used to the land changing colour to oranges, browns, and reds in the fall but here it's the opposite; the plants get revived by the rain and cooler climate so everything turns green and will stay green for the winter. New grass is starting to grow to replace the dead brown grass and random plants and flowers are growing where there used to be just dirt (including my front yard!) It's interesting to watch everything change.
On Sunday it was even warmer! Linda and I went for a walk and ended up going for a swim in the early evening; the water was colder from all the rain but it was still nice and refreshing! We made pizza and carbanara afterwards (pretty much pigged out!)
M
Friday, October 20, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Army Update
Ok, here’s an update of what Tony is up to in the Army.
So far he has undergone all types of training such as, shooting, guarding, raiding, and combat. He has had to go on massively long hikes carrying a lot of weight and also night training where they camouflage their faces and go on training missions in the middle of the night.
A week and a half ago (Friday), Tony officially became part of the Special Forces. He was in a ceremony and received his Special Forces beret (as seen in the pics)! On that same day he was moved from the base in Megalo Pefko (near Athens) to a smaller base even closer to Athens where he’s learning Communications for a month.
In a few weeks he’ll be moved to a base on Samos (an island near Turkey) where tougher training will start. He’ll have to start the water training and will have to swim in the freezing cold water!
Dates and plans seem to change so much in the Army, so he really doesn’t know exactly when and what he’ll be doing until a few days before (or that very day!). So things may change. I really don’t know when I’ll see him next; we heard when you go to Samos, it’s harder to get time off. I may try to see him in Athens at the end of November because he has to write a test there; we’ll see if it works out, might not.
I think that’s all the news that I know of. These are some pics he took with his new phone/camera. Below is where he sleeps in the bunker.
M
So far he has undergone all types of training such as, shooting, guarding, raiding, and combat. He has had to go on massively long hikes carrying a lot of weight and also night training where they camouflage their faces and go on training missions in the middle of the night.
A week and a half ago (Friday), Tony officially became part of the Special Forces. He was in a ceremony and received his Special Forces beret (as seen in the pics)! On that same day he was moved from the base in Megalo Pefko (near Athens) to a smaller base even closer to Athens where he’s learning Communications for a month.
In a few weeks he’ll be moved to a base on Samos (an island near Turkey) where tougher training will start. He’ll have to start the water training and will have to swim in the freezing cold water!
Dates and plans seem to change so much in the Army, so he really doesn’t know exactly when and what he’ll be doing until a few days before (or that very day!). So things may change. I really don’t know when I’ll see him next; we heard when you go to Samos, it’s harder to get time off. I may try to see him in Athens at the end of November because he has to write a test there; we’ll see if it works out, might not.
I think that’s all the news that I know of. These are some pics he took with his new phone/camera. Below is where he sleeps in the bunker.
M
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Tony Sighting!
Tony came for the weekend again! This time it was Sat night till Monday evening. It was voting time on the weekend so a lot of people came home to vote for a new Mayor, that’s why Tony got 2 weekends off in a row.
We had a great time hanging out! Monday was my first full-time work day but when my boss heard that Tony was visiting, he let me go early so I could spend more time with him! I also skipped Karate so I could see him off at the ferry.
We rented a movie, went for coffee, did a few errands, relaxed, and learned how to make some food (Linda taught us how to make chicken a la cream and crepes!) I also learned how to make pasticcio on Friday, mmmmm!
I’m not sure when I’ll see Tony again because in 2 or 3 weeks he will be moved to a base on Samos Island. It will be tougher there and he may not get as many breaks. It could be up to 2 months or so till he can come home again. We’ll see, I hope it’s sooner. I’ll put up an Army update tomorrow because he has new pictures from the base.
Us being sad right before Tony's ferry came to take him away again. lol!
M
We had a great time hanging out! Monday was my first full-time work day but when my boss heard that Tony was visiting, he let me go early so I could spend more time with him! I also skipped Karate so I could see him off at the ferry.
We rented a movie, went for coffee, did a few errands, relaxed, and learned how to make some food (Linda taught us how to make chicken a la cream and crepes!) I also learned how to make pasticcio on Friday, mmmmm!
I’m not sure when I’ll see Tony again because in 2 or 3 weeks he will be moved to a base on Samos Island. It will be tougher there and he may not get as many breaks. It could be up to 2 months or so till he can come home again. We’ll see, I hope it’s sooner. I’ll put up an Army update tomorrow because he has new pictures from the base.
Us being sad right before Tony's ferry came to take him away again. lol!M
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Motorbike + Torrential Downpour = Craziness
Well, I know what it's like to ride my bike in the rain now. It has been warm and sunny lately but yesterday was a different story.
Most of the day was nice but the clouds rolled in and in the early evening it started to rain a little. I had to do some errands before Karate so I thought I'd get them over with in case the rain got worse. “OH MY GOODNESS” is all I have to say. I have never in my life seen rain like this!
Once I got into town the rain got a lot stronger and I was getting drenched. I decided to pull over to wait it out under a storefront. The thunder and lightning came right overhead and it was so loud I thought it was going to break the windows! I stood there for about half an hour and it was still like sheets of water coming down and the streets turned into rivers. I WISH I had my camera!
I finally had to leave my safe spot since I had Karate and didn't want to miss it. So I got on my bike and rode it one-handed because I had to cover my face (the rain hurt). I just had to laugh because there was no use in trying to stay dry, I was already soaked all the way through so it was kinda fun riding through inches of water and getting splashed by the cars. Luckily it wasn't too cold. Some of the roads were invisible under all the water and it looked like you could take a boat down them in the rapids!
My Karate suit got wet too and afterwards I had to put my soaking jeans and shirt back on. I rung my fleecey out and buckets of water came out of it. When I got home I had a hot shower and hung my stuff up to dry. I'm thinking I should find some waterproof clothes to wear on the motorbike now because that was insane!!!
This morning on the news it showed flooding around Greece so it must’ve been a pretty big rainstorm.
M
Most of the day was nice but the clouds rolled in and in the early evening it started to rain a little. I had to do some errands before Karate so I thought I'd get them over with in case the rain got worse. “OH MY GOODNESS” is all I have to say. I have never in my life seen rain like this!
Once I got into town the rain got a lot stronger and I was getting drenched. I decided to pull over to wait it out under a storefront. The thunder and lightning came right overhead and it was so loud I thought it was going to break the windows! I stood there for about half an hour and it was still like sheets of water coming down and the streets turned into rivers. I WISH I had my camera!
I finally had to leave my safe spot since I had Karate and didn't want to miss it. So I got on my bike and rode it one-handed because I had to cover my face (the rain hurt). I just had to laugh because there was no use in trying to stay dry, I was already soaked all the way through so it was kinda fun riding through inches of water and getting splashed by the cars. Luckily it wasn't too cold. Some of the roads were invisible under all the water and it looked like you could take a boat down them in the rapids!
My Karate suit got wet too and afterwards I had to put my soaking jeans and shirt back on. I rung my fleecey out and buckets of water came out of it. When I got home I had a hot shower and hung my stuff up to dry. I'm thinking I should find some waterproof clothes to wear on the motorbike now because that was insane!!!
This morning on the news it showed flooding around Greece so it must’ve been a pretty big rainstorm.
M
Monday, October 09, 2006
Tony!
I had a better weekend than expected! I found out of Friday that Tony was able to visit for the weekend! On Friday in the afternoon he had a ceremony at the Army base where he received his Special Forces beret (I couldn’t go because I had to work). He is now officially in Special Forces. After the ceremony he and some others were moved to another base closer to Athens where they will learn Communications for 1 month. Once they arrived at the new base, they were let go for the weekend and I picked Tony up from the Ferry at 3:20am Saturday morning.
We had a busy weekend doing some errands and we went for a visit with his “Yia Yia” (Grandma). On Saturday evening we went with Markos to see how “Suma” is made. It’s a strong liquor made from the left over grape pulp from wine making. We also had time to rent a movie and on Sunday morning we went for frapes and crepes before he had to leave on a 2:30 ferry. It was a short but sweet visit like most of them are. He may even get next weekend off too since it’s voting time. I hope so!
Here is a pic of me and my two boys! Lol!
M
We had a busy weekend doing some errands and we went for a visit with his “Yia Yia” (Grandma). On Saturday evening we went with Markos to see how “Suma” is made. It’s a strong liquor made from the left over grape pulp from wine making. We also had time to rent a movie and on Sunday morning we went for frapes and crepes before he had to leave on a 2:30 ferry. It was a short but sweet visit like most of them are. He may even get next weekend off too since it’s voting time. I hope so!
Here is a pic of me and my two boys! Lol!
M
Thursday, October 05, 2006
I Can Cook Greek
Today I made my first Greek meal (besides Greek Salad). I don’t know why I get so proud when I cook something! Lol! (And I have to post a pic too of course). I guess it’s because I never really cooked before I moved away. I surprise myself whenever I attempt to make something (other than cereal or scrambled eggs) and it actually tastes good!
It took all day (because you had to soak some of the ingredients and let it simmer for 4 hours) but after all that hard work, I made “Bean Soup”! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, try to hold your excitement in! “Bean Soup”….
Unfortunately, it’s Tony’s most despised meal so I won’t score any points there but I like it and it’s healthy and it’ll last me a few days. Linda made it a while ago and I loved it so it was my first choice to attempt. MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
M
It took all day (because you had to soak some of the ingredients and let it simmer for 4 hours) but after all that hard work, I made “Bean Soup”! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, try to hold your excitement in! “Bean Soup”….
Unfortunately, it’s Tony’s most despised meal so I won’t score any points there but I like it and it’s healthy and it’ll last me a few days. Linda made it a while ago and I loved it so it was my first choice to attempt. MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
M
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
First Karate Class
Ok, well I've found a new favorite sport (I think it's considered a sport). I went to my first Karate lesson last night and I really really liked it! I had so much fun!
I got my new Karate kimono and it is huge! I had to roll up the waist, sleeves, and legs but I was told it's supposed to be big and it'll shrink in the wash. And I got my white belt. There were about 20ish people in the class (white belts up to black belts) and 5 of us were white belts (3 girls and 2 boys). Everyone looked like they were in their 20's - 30's; there are only about 5 girls altogether. We did a bunch of stretching, running, exercises, and we learned basic positions and a basic punch (our beginner group broke off from the rest to learn the positions). We also learned the etiquette; like when you enter you have to bow and if you're late, you have to kneel at the side and wait to be called into the group. I had to have some of the instructions translated to me since I'm the only one who doesn't have Greek as a first language. I'm getting a little better though but still have a loooooooong way to go!
So I'm happy! I think this'll be really fun and I'm very interested in building up skill to defend myself and get toned and fit at the same time. I have also talked to a few people in my class and some speak pretty good English so I think I may make some friends there too which will be nice!
M
I got my new Karate kimono and it is huge! I had to roll up the waist, sleeves, and legs but I was told it's supposed to be big and it'll shrink in the wash. And I got my white belt. There were about 20ish people in the class (white belts up to black belts) and 5 of us were white belts (3 girls and 2 boys). Everyone looked like they were in their 20's - 30's; there are only about 5 girls altogether. We did a bunch of stretching, running, exercises, and we learned basic positions and a basic punch (our beginner group broke off from the rest to learn the positions). We also learned the etiquette; like when you enter you have to bow and if you're late, you have to kneel at the side and wait to be called into the group. I had to have some of the instructions translated to me since I'm the only one who doesn't have Greek as a first language. I'm getting a little better though but still have a loooooooong way to go!
So I'm happy! I think this'll be really fun and I'm very interested in building up skill to defend myself and get toned and fit at the same time. I have also talked to a few people in my class and some speak pretty good English so I think I may make some friends there too which will be nice!
M
Monday, October 02, 2006
Green Thumb
I want to plant a few things in the yard around my place but it’s in no shape to be planted yet. It needs some serious work!
I’ve been tackling it with a rake and a hoe. I’ve raked the top layer of dead grass off and I’m in the process of braking up the soil and getting rid of rocks and weeds. I also ripped a bunch of dead tree branches off. So even now it looks better. I’ll post before and after pictures when I’ve actually planted something. I’m going to stop by a plant shop today and see what they have. I have no clue what to plant, I wanted tomatoes, but apparently it’s too late. Lettuce and cabbage are good to plant now but that’s boring. I think I’ll stick to flowers. I don’t know the first thing about gardening, so maybe I can ask for beginner plants which can take the abuse of a first time gardener!
The last few days have been really sunny and warm so I’ve been going to the beach a lot. Yesterday I went to Kolimbithres Beach; it is full of really cool rock formations. It’s usually packed in the summer but not now, most of the tourists have left.
I rented the last 2 DVDs of season 4 of “24” over the weekend and “WOW!” is all I can say!! If you haven’t seen the show “24” I highly recommend it. And season 4 is the best one yet. (at least that’s as far as I’ve gotten so far).
Oh, and I start Karate tonight so that should be fun!
M
I’ve been tackling it with a rake and a hoe. I’ve raked the top layer of dead grass off and I’m in the process of braking up the soil and getting rid of rocks and weeds. I also ripped a bunch of dead tree branches off. So even now it looks better. I’ll post before and after pictures when I’ve actually planted something. I’m going to stop by a plant shop today and see what they have. I have no clue what to plant, I wanted tomatoes, but apparently it’s too late. Lettuce and cabbage are good to plant now but that’s boring. I think I’ll stick to flowers. I don’t know the first thing about gardening, so maybe I can ask for beginner plants which can take the abuse of a first time gardener!
The last few days have been really sunny and warm so I’ve been going to the beach a lot. Yesterday I went to Kolimbithres Beach; it is full of really cool rock formations. It’s usually packed in the summer but not now, most of the tourists have left.
I rented the last 2 DVDs of season 4 of “24” over the weekend and “WOW!” is all I can say!! If you haven’t seen the show “24” I highly recommend it. And season 4 is the best one yet. (at least that’s as far as I’ve gotten so far).
Oh, and I start Karate tonight so that should be fun!
M
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